The University is comprised of multiple very different colleges which are essentially communities of students. Most of the colleges are enclosed by a large wall within which you can see, dormitories, a dining hall, library and chapel. In terms of architecture and arrangement, the colleges are very similar so we will visit one, usually New College. If you are interested in the Harry Potter movie series, then a few scenes were shot at this college. In addition to the colleges, there are the libraries and schools to visit and, of course, time for souvenir shopping before heading to the Cotswolds.

The Cotswolds is an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ totalling about 800 square miles. The very pretty landscape is that of gentle rolling hills through which rivers flow and quintessential English villages are built on. Built of locally quarried limestone, most of the cottages, manor houses and churches in these villages were erected between two and four hundred years ago.

It is about 30 minutes to the village of Bibury described by William Morris as the loveliest village in England., We will have lunch at the 17th Century Swan hotel situated by the River Coln. After lunch we drive along the single track roads that the tourist buses cannot get down. I will explain how sheep, in particular their wool, made the area very prosperous and talk about agriculture in the UK today as we drive pass many farms. There are plenty of villages that can be included on the tour, for example, Bourton on the Water, Lower Slaughter, and Stow on the Wold.

It takes about 2 hours to travel from the Cotswolds back to central London.